Billy Lee Riley

 

Listen/Download Megatons – Shimmy Shimmy Walk Pt1

Greetings all

I thought we’d get the week rolling with something from the pride of Pocahontas, Arkansas, the great Billy Lee Riley.

If you have even a passing knowledge of classic rockabilly, the name Billy Lee Riley ought to be familiar.

Riley laid down legendary sides like ‘Flyin’ Saucers Rock and Roll’ and ‘Red Hot’ for Sun Records, both in 1957.

‘Red Hot’ would be revived in the late 70s by Robert Gordon and Link Wray (which is where I first heard it).

Riley and his band the Little Green Men also did a lot of work backing other artists.

In 1962, Riley and his new band (featuring several of the Little Green Men) went into the studio in Memphis, and as the Megatons recorded the record you see before you, ‘Shimmy Shimmy Walk’.

Initially released on the Dodge label, it was eventually picked up and reissued by Checker, where it made it into the Hot 100 later that year.

If the tune sounds familiar, it is because it is a reworking of the R&B standard ‘You Don’t Love Me’.

Originally recorded under that title in 1960 by Willie Cobbs for Mojo records (his version was basically a reworking of Bo Diddley’s 1955 ‘She’s Fine She’s Mine’), it was a local hit n Memphis and was picked up for national distribution by VeeJay.

The song went on to become a rock/blues standard in the 1960s, being recorded by a wide variety of artists, including the Kaleidoscope, John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, The Al Kooper/Stephen Stills Super Session, Junior Wells and the Allman Brothers Band as well as the legendary 1967 Jamaican version by Dawn Penn.

The Megatons version features rolling guitar, a very nice reverbed harmonica solo and some groovy combo organ.

It was also released in the UK on Sue, where it became popular with the Mod/soul crowd.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

 

 

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

One Response to “Megatons – Shimmy Shimmy Walk Pt1”

1. William Clark says:

   March 6, 2018 at 7:53 pm

   It was recorded in 1961.